1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to a continuous processing apparatus which is capable of effectively performing a preparatory treatment or a dyeing treatment on a fabric material such as a tubular knitted fabric material through a hygro-thermic treatment carried out under high humid heat.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
In the conventional method for carrying out a preparatory treatment or a dyeing treatment in industrial production of a fabric material such as a tubular knitted material, the fabric material to be dyed, for example, has been passed through a dye solution tank to have a dye applied thereto and then subjected to a hygro-thermic treatment intermittently carried out for color development within a steamer, i.e. in a batch. In accordance with the conventional dyeing method, therefore, it has been impossible to carry out a continuous dyeing process. Hence, heat energy has been washed; the dyeing of one batch has varied from another; besides, in cases where the dyeing process is carried out at a temperature less than 100.degree. C., the dye has taken a lengthy period of time before it is fixed to the fabric material.
In view of these shortcomings of the conventional method, therefore, the present inventors have long conducted studies for shortening the length of time required for dye fixing or for a preparatory treatment to make possible a high speed dye fixing or a high speed preparatory treatment. As a result of these studies, they have successfully developed a high pressure steamer which is capable of carrying out the dyeing or preparatory treatment of a fabric material not only in a matter of seconds but also in a continuous manner. Some installations of this high pressure steamer are now in use. This high pressure steamer is arranged such that the inside of a drum body of the steamer is kept at a high degree of pressure while there is provided a pair of seal rolls which are in pressed contact with each other and are arranged to permit a tubular knitted fabric material to be continuously supplied to the inside of the steamer. This arrangement necessitates the supply of the tubular knitted fabric material through the pair of seal rolls pressed against each other. Therefore, the tubular knitted fabric material which, for example, has been impregnated with a treating liquid outside of the drum body of the steamer has the liquid squeezed therefrom by the seal rolls. Therefore, the fabric material becomes impregnated with insufficient quantity of the liquid. To solve this problem, there have been proposed many methods and apparatuses in which the fabric material supplied to the inside of the drum body of a steamer is arranged to be impregnated with a desired liquid there by a liquid containing tank or a shower means provided within the drum body. Normally, the inside of the drum body of a high pressure steamer is arranged to keep humid heat of high temperature of about 150.degree. C. while the temperature of the liquid to be supplied to the inside of the steamer is at normal temperature measuring about 20.degree. C. Thus, there is a considerable temperature difference between the liquid temperature and the inside temperature of the steamer drum body. When the inside of the steamer drum body having the high humid heat is supplied with a liquid of lower temperature, the steam within the high pressure drum body is dulled by the cold liquid and the humidity of the inside of the steamer drum body becomes lower. Then, the concentration of the liquid varies. This makes it difficult to uniformly treat the tubular knitted fabric material. The present invention is directed to the solution of this problem.